Vapors and gases are largely treated as fluids. Unlike liquids, the behavior of gases is only fluid-like at large aggregate scales. At scales near the size of air molecules, a vapor, gaseous state or air are all clouds of particles separated by vacuum. Molecules and particles of a substance that is in the gas/vapor stage are referred to herein as “gas molecules.” (Similarly, materials that are in gaseous or vapor form are referred herein as “gaseous materials.”) Nano scale structures, such as carbon nanotubes, are at the right size to create shapes which will interact differently with the cloud of particles than would the same shape at larger scales. Such nano-shape based devices can act as filters and/or pumps. While such static shapes apparently are incapable of doing work, the work can be done by the random motion of the particle cloud.